Calico | Flannel | Weave | Docker Overlay Network | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Network Model | Pure Layer-3 Solution | VxLAN or UDP Channel | VxLAN or UDP Channel | VxLAN |
Application Isolation | Profile Schema | CIDR Schema | CIDR Schema | CIDR Schema |
Protocol Support | TCP, UDP, ICMP & ICMPv6 | ALL | ALL | ALL |
Name Service | No | No | Yes | No |
Distributed Storage Requirements | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Encryption Channel | No | TLS | NaCl Library | No |
Partially Connected Network Support | No | No | Yes | No |
Seperate vNIC for Container | No | No | Yes | yes |
IP Overlap Support | No | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe |
Container Subnet Restriction | No | No | Yes, configurable after start | Yes, not configurable after start |
- Network Model - What kind of network model are used to support multi-host network.
- Application Isolation - Support what level and kind of application isolation of containers.
- Name Service - DNS lookup with simple hostname or DNS rules.
- Distributed Storage Requirements - Whether an external distributed storage is required, e.g. etcd or consul.
- Encryption Channel - Whether data and infomation tranvers can put in an encryption channel.
- Partially Connected Network Support - Whether the system can run on a partially connected host network.
- Seperate vNIC for Container - Whether a seperate NIC is generated for container.
- IP Overlap Support - Whether the same IP can be allocated to different containers.
- Container Subnet Restriction - Whether container's subnet should not be the same as host's.
- Protocol Support - What kind of Layer-3 or Layer-4 protocols are supported.
More articles:
- OverLay performance testing.
- Container Networking: a Breakdown, Explanation and Analysis
- The Container Networking Landscape: cni from Coreos and cnm from Docker
- the-over-under-on-container-networking
From the latter article by Lee Calcote:
Canal Strengths:
- Overlay
- Security Policy
Flannel Strengths:
- Overlay
- Simple
- Well-tested / mature
Weavenet:
- Multicast
- Built-in name service
- Buil-in K/V Store
Project Calico Strengths:
- L3 Networking
- Security Policy
- Broadest ecosystem support